Motorhome service points
I am currently touring with my wife and caravan in Scotland. The number of Motorhomes on the roads is staggering. However the point I wish to make is the number of motorhomes which are wild camping is also staggering. Scotland in their infinite wisdom have given the green light to this activity, which I would suggest, before thinking the whole thing through. Not only are motorhomes occupying passing places on single track roads,they are camping on virtually any open space which is available. To date I have not identified any location where they can empty their grey water tank and more importantly their chemical toilet. The locals seem to be getting fed up those who are leaving their mark by disposing of their waste in an unacceptable manner. This has been highlighted with residents on the North coast 500 taking things into their own hands with banners suggesting in fairly blunt language to go else where.
Before this matter gets out of hand I would urge the Scottish government to reconsider their wild camping policy or at the very least provide motorhome service points where both the grey water and chemical toilets may be emptied properly.
Comments
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You may well be partially correct but why not contact the Scottish Government rather than posting on the CAMC forum?
Btw, check out ports and ferry terminals for disposal points. Fill/empty points are also starting to appear in several places.
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They may not be plentiful but disposal points are being gradually added in Scotland to try and meet the demand of those wild campers. I think sometimes, as Club members, we are inclined to look through the wrong end of the telescope on this matter. I would like to think that any Club members, even if camping off piste, would make arrangements in advance so they knew where waste could be disposed of. Unfortunately many of those touring Scotland are not Club members. The Club does not encourage wild camping and comments at AGM's suggest they are very much against supporting it. We can all have an opinion but as TW suggests the solution rests elsewhere.
David
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To date I have not identified any location where they can empty their grey water tank and more importantly their chemical toilet.
Try using SearchForSites there are numerous official places to empty waste in Scotland even ignoring official campsites. The fact that numbers are, to use your expression, "staggering" is a success story for Scotland. It is a shame the few who might be dumping waste by the roadside are spoiling it for the many.
peedee
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Not only are motorhomes occupying passing places on single track roads,they are camping on virtually any open space which is available.
Personally I think this post is of the let’s have a go at Motorhomes variety. Yes there are a lot of motorhomes on the roads, the NC500 is popular. Although I certainly wouldn’t describe the number as staggering. Incidentally UK vans only seem to account for about 50%, the rest being EU, predominantly German and Dutch.
As to wild camping, yes we have seen a few, however certainly not virtually any open space and none occupying passing places. Also in many car parks overnighting is permitted for a fee, typically £10 and they are not therefore wild camping.
It’s not something that attracts us, however if it did we would probably intersperse a non facility stop between sites and dispose of grey / black waste there.
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Lots of Aires appearing in Scotland. Many allow service stops. As mentioned, check out search for sites. We are just returning from about 9 days in Scotland. We were around Dumfries and Galloway. Didn’t see huge numbers of motorhomes. Those we saw parked up were in sites or Aires with the exception of possibly one stretch of road towards port William where some vans were parked on the parking areas, certainly not blocking the road. Whether they had overnighted there I couldn’t say, we saw them in passing. Saw no one parked in passing places.
I think the legal position about wild camping is quite difficult. My understanding that motorhomes parking just anywhere on private land, and all land belongs to someone, is not much different in Scotland to England. The Scottish right to roam is something else entirely.
I have no time for anyone dumping waste of any sort in any inappropriate place, and that includes car owners picnicking and leaving disposable bar b q around. The vast majority of motorhomers act responsibily. I do think hire companies could do more to ensure their customers understand “leave nothing but footprints”. And Scotland has on the whole done far more than England to welcome motorhomers.1 -
The "Friendly Club " have moved with the times and currently have 50 sites designated as Service Stop-Off Points where for £7.95 motorhomers can use the site facilities for 3 hrs and shower/ fill the tank/empty the waste etc.
Currently just four of these SSOPs are in Scotland.
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We have just spent nearly 9 weeks touring Scotland, and were commenting just the other day of how relatively few M/Hs we have seen this trip compared to previous years, and very few of them have been from abroad. We are currently on a THS on a lawned field adjacent to a CS where the owner is charging for a dump and water fill up the same price as we are paying per night.
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